High Court Orders Crackdown on Misuse of Prison Personnel

The Madras High Court has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the misuse of prison staff by authorities for personal work. Directed by Justices Subramaniam and Jothiraman, the inquiry aims to ensure prison personnel are used as per regulations, with stringent action against violators.

The Madras High Court has mandated an exhaustive investigation into allegations that prison authorities have wrongly employed uniformed personnel for their personal affairs. This directive comes from Justices S M Subramaniam and M Jothiraman, who emphasized the necessity of adhering to government orders and prison rules.

The order demands that any identified misuse be promptly corrected by withdrawing personnel from unauthorized duties and assigning them to their rightful prison-related roles. This exercise is expected to be completed by the Additional Chief Secretary within three weeks, according to the court's instructions.

Triggered by a petition filed by Sujatha, the probe seeks to address numerous complaints about the misuse of public servants. The court underscored the misuse as intolerable, urging stringent action to ensure accountability and reinforce the proper deployment of state-paid staff for public service, not personal errands.

(With inputs from agencies.)